Feedeeick j



(No Model.

I. J. KNEUPER.

ELBOTRO THERAPEUTIO APPARATUS. No. 372,808. A Patented Nov. 8, 1887.

N. PETERS, Phowumo n lwr, Washinglon. n. c

UNITED STATES PATENT ()EEIcEF-Q FREDERICK J. KNEUPER, OF NEW YORK, ASSIGNOR TO CHARLES LEMBKE, OF BROOKLYN, AND ERNEST HUBER, OF NEW YORK, N. Y.

EL'ECTRO-THERAPEUTIC APPARATUS.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 372,808, dated November 8, 1887.

Application filed March 29, 1887. Serial No. 232,864. (No model.)

T0 at whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, FREDERICK J. KNE PER, M. D., of the city and county of New York, in the State of New York, have invented a new and useful Improvement in Electro- Therapeutic Apparatus, of which the following is a specification.

The electro-therapeutic appliances which are in most general use act by simple galvanic action, such as would be produced if one-end of a copper wire is connected with a zinc wire and the free ends of these wires are dipped into any suitable secondary conductor or exciting-liquid, such as acidulated water,or by being brought in contact with the salty perspiration of the body. In this application the primary conductor usually partially surrounds the limb or other part of the body to be treated. It is believed, however, that the galvanic current thus produced is not strong enough to pass through alimb, or even to exercise a dynamic action upon the nervous system, because the electro-motive force of such a battery will be so low that the intensity of the current will not have any appreciable effect upon the human organism. It is believed, also, that with such an apparatus the current following the course of least resistance simply passes through the secondary cond uctor or over the moist surface of the body.

The essential object of my invention is to provide an apparatus so small that it may be conveniently worn suspended around the neck or otherwise conveniently disposed under the clothing, and which contains a battery element or elements and the necessary appliances for transmitting through an outside circuit an interrupted current, "such current traversing conductors which lead'to the part of the body to be acted on, and are there provided with electrodes or armatures that are held in constant contact with the skin.

In the use of such an apparatus the patient is not compelled to undergo, even for a short time, the influences of strong currents, because the power furnished is constantly though interruptedly exerted, and time is given for it to influence the system. The weak and agreeable interrupted current enables the most sensitive person to bear the action without any inconvenience whatever.

In carrying out my invention I combine with an inclosing-case containing a battery an electro-magnet and a rheotome, and I provide conductors leading from the case, but terminating in electrodes or armatures for application to the body, such conductors receiving an interrupted current produced by the discharge of the magnet under control of the rheotome. The magnet may advantageously be of horseshoe form, and the rheotome may include. an armature arranged in operative relation to both poles of the magnet. The conductors for the outside circuit terminate in buttonlike electrodes, and I provide a band to encircle the part of the body to be treated, and which has button-holes through which the electrodes may be passed, by which they are held in position when wearing the apparatus. The case is preferably divided into two compartments, one of which contains the battery and has a'filling-aperture in its wall, and a cover at the side of the case, through which pressure may be exerted on the battery-plates for expelling the spent exciting'fluid from the I usually absorbing material of the battery. provide filling and discharge apertures at opposite sides of the case, and when it is desired to renew the battery-fluid I- exert pressure upon the plates of the battery through an aperture in the case or the cover of the case, so as to expel from the absorbent material of the battery the spent exciting-fluid, and from a filling case or tube which contains fresh fluid, and which is applied to the filling-aperture, I renew the exciting-fluid in the battery.

The invention consists in novel features of construction and combinations of parts, hereinabove referred to and hereinafter described, and pointed out in the claims.

In the accompanying drawings, Figure 1 reping removed. Fig. 4 represents a band such as may be placed around a wrist or ankle, and

which has electrodes or contact-pieces held in proper position therein according to my invention; and Fig. 5 is a transverse section through such band and electrode or contact. Figs. e and 5 are upon a larger scale than the remaining iigures, and similar letters of reference designate corresponding parts in all the figures.

A, Fig. 1, designates the portable apparatus, which contains the battery and the elec tric appliances for producing an interrupted current. This apparatus is comprised in a box or case, hereinafter described, and which has a hanging device, Z), or other means whereby it may be suspended around the neck or otherwise worn with convenience under the clothing. From the apparatus A extend conductors s s, which terminate in electrodes or contactpieces held by bands B around such portions of the body as it is desired to treat. The construction of these electrodes or contact-pieces and the manner of holding them in proper position will be hereinafter described.

Referring now particularly to Figs. 2 and 3, which show the construction of the portable apparatus A, it will be seen that this apparatus is inclosed in a case composed, as here shown, of acylindric portion, 0, and covers or heads 0 0 applied thereto. The case has a partition, 0, transverse to its axis, whereby it is divided into two compartments, D D. The compartment D, which is closed by the lid or cover 0, contains an electric battery, or, if desired, a secondarybattery or accumulater. As here represented, the battery consists of a modified form of Daniells cell, con1- posed ol a plate of copper, d, sulphate of copper which imprcgnates a suitable absorbent substance, (2, a porous membrane or septum, d". sulphate of zinc impregnating a suitable absorbent material, (1, and plate of zinc, d, which is in contact with the cover or lid 0. The plate of copper (I may be secured by a screw, e, which passes through an insulatingbush, 0. to the partition 0, and if one cell is not suflicient the element may be repeated as many times as the case will contain.

it is desirable to employ some means for recharging the battery with exciting-fluid without opening the case, and to provide for this I have shown the compartment D as provided at opposite sides with a filling opening or aperture, f, and a dischargeaperture, f, and I have shown the cover or lid 0' as having a central aperture, f through which pressure may be exerted upon the zinc plate (1 immediately within. The aperture f may be left open, if desired, or may be closed by a plug,

f, and the filling and discharge apertures f f may be closed by capsf", which are shown in Fig. 2 adjacent to the main portion of the figure. A pressure exerted upon the Zinc plate (1" through the aperture f will compress the absorbent material (2 d and expel therefrom the spent exciting-fluid, which is discharged through the aperturef.

I may employ a filling case or tube, E, for containing fresh exciting-fluid, and the outlet of which may be applied in the filling-aperture and as soon as pressure upon the plates of the battery is removed the exciting-fluid will flow into the compart-i'nent D from the filling case or tube E, to replace the spent fluid which has previously been expelled therefrom. The filling case or tube E may have at the top a bent plug, 0 which, when removed, opens the case to the atmosphere and permits the fiuid to How freely therefrom into the compartment D.

The compartment D of the case contains an electro-magnet, here shown as of horseshoel'orm, and composed of a core, F, and coils F of wire thereon. The magnet may be fixed in position by a screw,f", inserted from the exterior of the case, and the core may be made up of soft-iron wires varnished to insulate them from each other, and in which an inductive action is produced by the passage of the current through the coils embracing the core. From the screw 6, which secures the battery in place and which forms one pole thereof, a wire, 6", may lead to one coil, F, and from the other coil a wire, 6, leads to a metallic contact, h, forming part of a rheotome which is employed for producing an interrupted current, and which is on a block, t, of insulated material. The armature or hammer H of the rheotome is supported by the spring H, and is under the influence of both poles/" of the core F of the electromagnet. From the contact h a wire, h, leads to a binding post or eye, h, which is insulated from the case 0; and ]L3 designates a corresponding bindingpost or eye which is secured in electric communication with the case 0. It will be understood that the battery-circuit is completed through thespring-support H of the hammer H. XVhen the magnet-coils F are energized by the battery-current, the secondary current induced in the core F will produce the vibration ofthe hammer or armature H, and this movement will constantly break and make the circuit between thecontacthandthespringT supporting the hammer or armature, thereby permitting the magnet to discharge through the outside circuit formed by the conductors s s. From the binding posts or eyes it it lead the outside conductors. s s, and when the secondary current is broken by the movement of the hammer or armature H toward the poles f 6 of the magnet an electric impulse will be transmitted through the conductors and will return to the case through the conductor 3. The conductor 5 is provided at the end with an electrode or contact-piece, 8 as best shown in Figs. 4 and 5, and which has connected with it byapivot, a, a socket-piece, s, which receives two shouldered and elastic arms, 8 with which the conductor s or s is connected. The electrode or contactpiece is of button-like form, as represented best in Figs. t and 5, and the bands B, which are applied to different parts of the IIO body, may be provided with button-holes I), through which the electrodes or contact-pieces 8 may be buttoned, so that when the band B is held securely in position around the limb or other part of the body the electrode or contact-piece s will be held in proper contact with the skin.

The bands B may have each a considerable number of button holes or apertures, b,through any suitable one of which the electrode or contact-piece 8 may be buttoned, and the electrodes or contact-pieces 8 which form the terminations, respectively, of the conductors s s, will commonly be applied to the opposite portions of the limb or other member of the body, or they maybe otherwise arranged according to the nerve-systems which it is desired to treat electrically. The bands B may be provided with straps b, as shown in Fig. 4, and with buckles b, or with other suitable devices for fastening them about the body. The conductors s 8' may be divided, as represented in Fig. 1, so as to lead to different parts of the body which it may be desired to subject to the action of the current.

Inasmuch as my improved appliances are especially desirable for treating rheumatism,

I term my improved apparatus a rheumaticide.

The cover 0 of the case may be turned, and has an inwardly-projecting pin, 0, which, by turning the cover, may, by pressing upon the hammer or armature H, lock it against vibration.

What I claim as my invention, and desire to secure by Letters Patent, is-

1. In electro therapeutic apparatus, the combination, with an inclosing-case containing a battery, an electro-magnet, and a rheotome, of conductors leading from the case and terminating in electrodes for application to the body, substantially as herein described.

2. The combination, with a horseshoe-magnet, a battery, a rheotome including an armature arranged in operative relation to both poles of the magnet,aud an inclosing-case con.- taining said parts, provided with a stop for locking the rheotome to prevent its operation, of conductors leading from the case and terminating in electrodes for application to the body. substantially as herein described.

3. The combination, in an electro-therapeutic apparatus, of a portable case containing devices for producing an interrupted current, conductors leading fromthe case and terminating in button-like electrodes, and a band to encircle a part of the body,and having button-holes throughwhich the electrodes may be placed and by which they are held in position when wearing the apparatus, substantially as herein described.

4. The case herein described, having two compartments, one of which contains a battery and has a filling-aperture and a cover through which pressure may be exerted on the battery-plates for expelling the spent excitingfluid from the absorbent material of the battery, substantially as herein set forth.

5. The combination, with the case herein described, having two compartments, one of which contains a battery and has in opposite sides filling and discharge apertures, and having an opening through which pressure may be exerted on the battery-plates for expelling the spent exciting-fluid from the absorbent material of the battery, of a filling-case to con- -tain fluid and to be removably applied to the filling-aperture of the case, substantially as herein described.

FR J. KNEUPER. 

